


can't waste a perfectly good invitation

by bukkunkun



Category: Persona 5, Super Smash Brothers
Genre: ?? ? ? ? ?? ?, Canon Compliant, Cutesy, Drabble, Gen, Headcanon, I Don't Know How To Tag This Sorry - Freeform, Invitations, Not Beta Read, Self-Indulgent, Short & Sweet, Smash Mansion, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-16 00:07:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18509902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bukkunkun/pseuds/bukkunkun
Summary: Joker arrives at the Smash Manor and is received by a most pleasant friend.Arsene doesn't like playing translator, but he likes Joker too much to deny him.





	can't waste a perfectly good invitation

**Author's Note:**

> > note to self: it is okay to post little writing "doodles", not everything has to have a plot
>> 
>> — ⭕️ bukkun @ arsenefucker69 🌟 (@trickscd) [18 April 2019](https://twitter.com/trickscd/status/1118883403250581504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> 
> me, crying about my boyfriend arsene showing up in smash: this is self care
> 
> i wrote this like a man possessed you won't even believe ...... i really love kirby n joker interacting, the idea is so cute..... im sorry this is extremely random but i just wanted to ^ q ^

Mementos was a large, sprawling landscape that was overwhelming to look at from the precipice of the subway station, but Joker wasn’t one to back down from the sight, staring down into the dark depths with thoughtful red eyes as the rest of his team caught up to him. He turned around at the sound of their footsteps, the sloshing of phantom pink water around their feet familiar and comforting, and he smiled slightly as they came to a stop before him.

The whole team was there—from Mona, Panther and Skull, to Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir and even Crow. They all regarded him with varying degrees of concern, though Crow’s smile on his face was almost neutral, betraying nothing, and yet he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“You’re really gonna go?” Panther asked, and he nodded, despite the sagging shoulders he got in response. The blonde bit her lip, and Skull patted her shoulder.

“He should be fine, right?” He asked, and Joker gave the teen a grin.

“Well, he _did_ steal that invite.” Crow said. “It would be impudent for you to stand them up after stirring all that hullabaloo, don’t you think?”

“That’s true.” Queen smiled, shaking her head. “Invites to that tournament—”

“Underground fighting ring,” Oracle supplied, earning her a giggle from Noir.

“Battle royale?” she suggested, and Queen shot them both a withering glance.

“ _Smash Brothers,_ ” Queen continued, “Invites to there are as rare as they come.”

“Seize the opportunity, as they say!” Mona nodded, beaming. “Don’t worry about us, Joker, we’ll be totally fine without ya for a bit!”

Joker nodded, and looked down at the white envelope he had caught between his two fingers. The seal seemed unbroken, though of course he’d already seen the contents. Inside was a letter of invitation, and enclosed with it was a two-way train ticket, though it had no destination indicated on the paper. By all means, it was a large risk to take, to accept an invite that wasn’t even meant for him, but a treasure as rare as a Smash Bros. tournament invite had to have its merits, didn’t it?

Any great treasure was worth the great risk, and Joker was not a thief worth his salt if he did not step up to the challenge.

“I’m counting on all of you.” He nodded, and turned around to head down into the station. He could feel his team’s eyes on his back as he walked away, the click of his heels muted by the sloshing of the water on the floor of the Metaverse, and as he stepped out onto the platform, he felt the call of his rebellious spirit inside him. He smirked slightly, cocking his head in curiosity, and unmasked himself, his Persona emerging from behind him in unholy blue flames. “Arsene?” He asked, cocking his head at the Persona as he moved to the platform’s edge.

“A trip into the unknown,” the Persona said, and Joker nodded, standing beside him on the platform. “How curious, indeed.”

“I have to see why this treasure is so precious,” Joker said, “No matter the cost.”

Arsene laughed, that haunting, terrifying laugh that echoed in his head when he awakened, and Joker’s smirk widened.

“Brave as always, my master.” He nodded, holding a clawed hand to his heart. “Admirable, lovely and courageous. However, we will never catch our ride like this, don’t you think?”

Joker’s eyes widened when Arsene darted forward into the train track, and his hand shot out, his mouth hanging open as he tried to reach for his Persona, but suddenly a train shot through, and Arsene disappeared from view.

“Arsene!” He shouted, hurrying to the platform’s edge, when the train suddenly stopped, hissing to a halt. Joker stopped himself, gaping as the train door in front of him slid open, revealing Arsene inside, head cocked at his master as he bowed at him with a flourish.

“Your ride awaits, mon _maître._ ” He said, and Joker chuckled fondly, shaking his head as he stepped into the train.

“Don’t do that again, you extra bastard.” Joker replied, and Arsene laughed good-naturedly, disappearing into Joker’s heart as the teen settled down on his seat with a heavy sigh. He crossed his arms as he crossed his leg over the other, and looked outside, watching the deep red and black blur that was Mementos fly past him quickly. He frowned, and looked down at the envelope again, shaking his head as he looked at the name on the front.

It was a name that he didn’t recognise—nor cared about—but he opened the seal anyway, unfurling the letter again. He’d read it before, after he stole it in front of a crowd of  thousands at an awards ceremony, much to the delighted cheering of his team. At the time, it had been addressed to the person the invite was truly for, and yet, when he opened the letter, his eyes widened to see the name fade away—

And his codename, Joker, replace it.

“What—” He blinked, watching his name sparkling gold in the dim red light of Mementos, and the first line—initially the commonplace formal greeting of any letter, ‘ _We cordially invite you to participate in the Super Smash Brothers tournament’,_ now completely different, still in that same haunting gold.

 _To Joker,_ the letter read. _This invite was meant for you all along._

Joker’s head shot up when he realised there was someone standing in front of him, and a plain-faced human-like being stood in front of him, holding out a blocky little peach-coloured hand. Plain black circles for eyes blinked at him expectantly, and Joker hesitantly blinked at it, before it pointed at the letter on his lap.

Specifically, the ticket, now a glittering gold—and of course, there was his codename again, where it rightfully belonged. Laughing disbelievingly, Joker ran his hand through his hair, and handed it to the strange creature.

It nodded once, tearing off one little part of the ticket—the first of two ways it was valid for—and suddenly the red light around them burst into stark, bright white light. Joker winced, squeezing his eyes shut, and he heard the rustle of feathers. Arsene must have emerged from his heart to shield him from the light, as well.

Slowly he opened his eyes again, realising that the train had stopped, and when he looked up, the rickety subway train was no longer slightly decrepit—it was sleek, with white and blue accents that was not unlike the bullet train. Outside was a posh, sleek train station, and Joker blinked dazedly at the unfamiliar sight.

“Keep your ticket close to yourself,” Arsene told him, and Joker nodded, slipping the tickets and the letter into the envelope he stole before tucking it away in his inner breast pocket. “And be on your guard. This world is unfamiliar, though it should not daunt us.”

“Tell me about it,” Joker replied, getting up onto his feet as the doors hissed open. He looked up at his Persona, who nodded at him once, before disappearing into his heart again. The fact that Arsene could materialise told him he was still in the Metaverse, definitely—that was a relief. He could at least count on Arsene for help whenever he needed it.

He strode out of the train, eyes widening to hear the sounds of a cheering crowd in the distance, and he picked up the pace, running through the train station and following signs that had mysterious characters on it. He was surprised to see the characters morph into Japanese for his benefit, and as he found his way to the staircase leading up to a bright light—bright like sunlight—he stopped at the foot of it, panting softly.

 _Joker?_ Arsene asked, a whisper in his heart, and Joker grinned slightly.

“Just a little overwhelmed.” He replied, and took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m ready.”

He ran up the stairs, skipping steps as he made his way up, and a bright light flooded his vision as he came to the top. He winced, shielding his eyes with his hand until they adjusted, and he gasped as he finally saw a large arena, with four fighters fighting on it. It floated in space in the middle of a cheering grandstand, and Joker made his way to the glass that separated him from the outside to watch them fight, wide-eyed.

“I’m here.” He breathed, “This—this is it.”

The Smash Bros. Tournament.

“Poyo!” Joker jumped at the sound of a voice, and he shot away from the window, turning around to see…

What the _hell_ was he looking at, and why the _hell_ was it so…

So…

“Poyo?” The little round pink ball thing asked, cocking its… head? Body? Who knew—and Joker bit his lip.

So damn _cute?_

Arsene emerged from his heart, curling his wings protectively around Joker as he glowered down at the newcomer, but Joker shook his head to clear it, gathering his bearings as he straightened up to address it properly.

“Um,” he began, and Arsene looked at him witheringly. He flushed under his mask, and steeled himself. “Who are you?”

“Poyo, poyo!” The pink ball replied, and Joker deflated.

“Uh.”

“He says his name is Kirby.” Arsene supplied, and Joker blinked at his Persona, who seemed to refuse to meet his gaze. “He welcomes you to the Smash Bros. Tournament, and says that it’s wonderful to meet you.”

Joker looked back at the pink puffball—uh, _Kirby—_ who beamed at him, waving his little nubblies of hands at him in greeting. He smiled slightly, and knelt down to address him properly.

“It’s… nice to meet you too, I suppose.” Joker said. “I’m Joker.”

“Poyo, poyo!”

“He says that everyone has been waiting for you.” Arsene said, “Though I am not sure who he means by ‘everyone’.” The Persona crossed his arms, and for a moment Joker thought he was _pouting._ “I am _not_ pouting, _ma moitié_.”

“Sure you aren’t.” Joker deadpanned at him, and turned back to look at Kirby. “So, uh… what exactly are you doing here?” He asked, reaching out to touch one of Kirby’s hands, and he lit up to realise they were as soft as they looked. Smiling, he reached out with his other hand, and squeezed the puffball’s cheeks, earning him bright giggles. “Oh, hell. You’re so _cute._ ” He said, and Kirby shook himself out of Joker’s hold.

“Poyo, poyo-poyo!” Kirby said, and Joker looked at Arsene. The Persona sighed exasperatedly.

“He says he will be escorting us to your room.”

“Room?” Joker echoed, and Kirby nodded, taking Joker’s hand excitedly before pulling him along. Joker laughed slightly, stumbling as Kirby pulled him along, chattering away in that cute little language he used, one that Arsene could inexplicably comprehend. The phantom thief looked at his other half, and the winged Persona sighed.

“You will be here for a while,” he translated as Kirby ushered Joker onwards, bringing them out of the station and into a wide, open-air courtyard. The ground was paved with ivory-white flooring, drawing out a large cross in the middle of a field of green grass, topiaries of different designs decorating the elegant courtyard around them. Joker gaped at the mansion they approached, and Kirby finally let Joker go to let him straighten up, staring at the building as Arsene continued to translate his speech. “The Tournament gives its fighters only the finest accommodations during their stay here.” He huffed. “I certainly do hope so. For such a coveted invite, it had better been worth it.”

“Wait—” Joker snapped out of his daze, and knelt down to meet Kirby’s confused gaze. “I have to get back, I have a deadline, a Treasure to steal—”

Kirby’s puffy little nubblies— _hands, damn it, Joker—_ went up to press over Joker’s mouth to silence him.

“Poyo…” Kirby said sadly, and Joker couldn’t say no to a face like _that._ “Poyo, poyo…”

Arsene scoffed.

“He knows you’re worried, but it’s alright.” He said, “He would really like us to stay here, and frankly, I would most certainly like to see what all the hullabaloo is about.”

“Arsene…” Joker sighed, shaking his head at his Persona, before he looked back at Kirby. “I’m sorry, Kirby, I can’t stay. My friends and I are trying to stop an investigation. We’re going to get in a lot of trouble if we don’t.”

“Poyo, poyo!” Kirby looked at Arsene, and the Persona sighed exasperatedly.

“Yes, little one?” He asked, and Kirby chattered on. Joker watched them as Kirby seemingly explained something to Arsene, and the Persona nodded sagely from time to time, until Kirby finally stopped, and looked at Joker again. “He’s explained to me quite an interesting concept, but it seems we are safe to remain for the time being.”

“What—” Joker began, but Kirby jumped into his arms, cheering. He couldn’t help but laugh, hugging the soft, pink round puffball, and he got up onto his feet to ease the growing ache in his legs. “What’s going on?”

“Apparently, time does not flow the same way in Shibuya as it does here in this world. When we return to Mementos, the Phantom Thieves will feel like we have only left for a moment, despite remaining here to finish off the current tournament season for Smash.” Arsene explained, moving ahead of Joker with a graceful wave at him. “This way.”

“Wait, so that means if we go back, even after the tournament is over, it’ll only have been a short minute for them?”

“Poyo!” Kirby nodded, and Joker looked down at him. His shoulders slumped slightly, and Kirby looked up at him fondly, cuddling close to him. Joker smiled slightly at that, and Arsene wrapped a wing around Joker’s side, holding him close.

“He understands that you may grow homesick,” He said, surprisingly tender, and Joker couldn’t help but smile wider at that. “Smash has had a lot of young competitors, it is very common for children to grow lonely and long for home, but he is confident that you will make friends to help ease the pain.”

Arsene chuckled slightly, clawed hands delicately poised over the jagged line of his mouth.

“I most certainly am confident in you.” He said. “We shan’t waste a perfectly good invitation, after all.”

“That’s fair.” Joker hummed, and he idly patted the envelope in his jacket. “So… Smash is a place where people fight, correct?”

“Poyo!” Kirby nodded.

“Tournament seasons come and go every now and then, but upon initial invitation, you are henceforth invited for life.” Arsene talked over Kirby’s continued explanation, and Joker hummed.

“For life, huh…” Joker, Arsene and Kirby entered the mansion, and the pink puffball jumped down from Joker’s arms to plod onwards ahead of them to show Joker to his room. It was as lavish and luxurious as the rest of the mansion looked, and the teen quickly got settled in. After waving Kirby goodbye, Joker kicked off his shoes to lie down on the lavish bed, sighing deeply as Arsene chuckled beside him, settling down elegantly on an armchair, crossing a leg over the other as he rested his chin delicately on his hand.

“How has this manor been treating you, mon chéri?” he asked, and Joker grinned up at him, deftly flicking his knife between his fingers.

“I think… I’m gonna like it here.” He said, and Arsene chuckled. “We’re going to stay, Arsene.”

“How I hoped to hear that.” The Persona replied, and Joker smirked.

“We’re going to win,” he said, “Can’t waste that invitation, after all.”

**Author's Note:**

> i don't have smash............... but...........
> 
> please let sora be in smash......... put sora in smash mister sakurai............. echo fighter riku.......... please.............

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [neutral b](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18596509) by [bukkunkun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bukkunkun/pseuds/bukkunkun)




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